SCENTS OF CHILDHOOD (Yvonne Lindsay)

Every now and then I get blown back to past memories by a scent from my childhood. Whether it's the scent of fresh cut grass on a hot summer's day, or the smell of rain hitting a bitumen road that's been baking in the sun before a cloud hovered by, or even the scent of woodsmoke on the air on a chilly winter's afternoon, it always transports me back and triggers off a whole run of memories, good and bad. 

One of my favorite olefactory memories is waking on a Saturday morning to the delicious aroma of fresh baking. My mum would always wake early, do the week's baking and then, before the rest of the family arose, have a lovely soak in a bath sprinkled with fragrant bath salts. That memory never fails to put a smile on my face.

For Mother's Day this year my mum gave me a pot with hyacinths (pictured.) It's been fun watching the flower stems push out from the leaves and for the flowers to slowly deepen in colour and release their very special scent. It was another smell that got me to thinking about the past, although I always remember Mum's blooms being blue, and reminded me of my mum patiently coaxing bulbs to grow roots and then potting them and then waiting for them to flower. It also reminded me of trips to the Auckland Winter Gardens in the city and how amazing the hothouses smelled with their colorful array of plants and flowers.

Do you have a favorite scent from your childhood, or one that sends shudders down your spine? My least favorite is my older brother's socks. If I pestered him too much he'd hold me down and wrap them around my face. Argh! It's a wonder I still live! LOL!

Share your thoughts and go into the draw for a free autographed book giveaway for a book of your choice from my backlist, stock permitting.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

April 25th, in New Zealand and Australia, is known as ANZAC Day. (ANZAC = Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli.) It's a day when we commemorate our fallen soldiers who've given their lives in wars and conflicts far from our own lands, both in the past and more recently, and services are held throughout the day to honor their sacrifice and their memory--and to remember the families who lost them. We wear a single red poppy as a symbol of that remembrance as many others do around the world to commemorate Armistice Day.

While in previous years I've attended services with my girls, who've represented either Girl Guides when they were little or as a Head Girl or a House Captain while they were in High School, this year I find the commemoration particularly poignant as Mr Fix-It and I have recently spent a week vacationing in Hawaii.

The last time we were there was 26 years ago and much has changed, of course, in that time, but the lovely relaxing laid back ambience of Hawaii remains the same. This time around, we made a point of visiting Pearl Harbor for a full day tour. What a day, what a memorial. What carnage was wrought, what strength, resilience and courage prevailed. We started our tour with a visit to the USS Missouri, followed by a visit to the Aviation Museum and then the audio tour through the Pearl Harbour Museums. After that was the very sobering trip out to the Arizona Memorial and then an eye opening tour through the USS Bowfin submarine. Mr Fix-It and I enjoyed the day thoroughly and followed it up with a visit to the US Army Museum of Hawaii which was equally eye opening.

It got me thinking a great deal about people put in difficult circumstances, not of their own making, and how they rise to the challenge and exhibit truly heroic traits and it reminded me very much of why I love to read romance and why I love to write it. So, in closing I'd like to share this ode (which comes from For the Fallen, a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon and was published in London in The Winnowing Fan: Poems of the Great War in 1914) which is read every ANZAC day at services around New Zealand and Australia:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Getting Ready for RT!

A Man of Privilege,
Award-winning book!

Sarah M. Anderson,
Award winning author!

Sarah here. So, the Romance Times Convention--RT--is in eight days.

And you know what? A Man of Privilege won the RT Reviewer's Choice Best Desire of 2012!!

There'll be a ceremony for all the winners (listed here). I'm taking two friends with me so at least one photo of me getting my award will happen. I'm so excited!

This is the first time I've ever gone, so the whole thing--planning, processing, packing--is all very overwhelming. Not just for me, but for my family, too. Why? Because my house looks like this:

Three of the six pairs of shoes I'm packing. Honestly, I didn't even own that many pairs. I had to go order some. Six pairs for a four-day conference. Insane.

Outfits. Basically, I have two outfits for every day--one for the day and one for the party/ball/event that night. This ranges a sparkly Disco dress (far side) to a snake-print dress (Samhain Safari) to business professional dresses (near side). Which is why there are so very many pairs of shoes!

This is my parlor--the formal sitting room in my house. Not-so-formal at the moment. That's books, buttons, booklets, bookmarks, posters, and I don't know what-all. 

Books to give away--apparently, this is a big thing. I'm going to be taking a LOT of books. And probably coming home with a decent amount of them, too! I just hope I'm coming home with different books than the ones I brought, you know?

And I'm making more book necklaces. I'll probably be giving away some necklaces to those readers who can ask trivia questions I post on Twitter. If you're going to RT and are on Twitter, you should follow me at @SarahMAnderson1--that's the best way to find out when I'll be handing out free books or asking questions for a book necklace. And there may be hilarious photos!

So who's going to RT? Can't wait to see you there!

Pleasant Surprises

I spent over eight years seriously pursuing publication. I definitely took the long way and can thank Shana Smith for plucking me from the slush pile to write for Desire. I was just happy to have sold a book. That first one is always special. You get the excitement of learning the title, seeing the cover, holding a copy for the first time, seeing it stores... That was more than enough for me. I never really expected much else.

So I was stunned when WHAT LIES BENEATH got a 4 1/2 star review and Top Pick from RT Magazine. I never expected that in a million years. I was just hoping not to make a poor showing. Then the book became a double nominee for the RT Reviewers' Choice Awards in best First Series Romance and Best Desire 2012. That was just crazy. 72 Desire titles came out in 2012, how is it that I was one of the top five? Or one of the best debut authors? That was more than I ever could've asked for or expected.

When the June issue of RT came out, the news traveled quite fast - I'd won! I won best First Series Romance! I get to go to the convention at the beginning on May and receive my glass award / plaque thing. It's my very first writing award. I never won any contests as an unpublished author. And even better, I get to go with fellow Desire Author Sarah M. Anderson, who snagged Best Desire of 2012 with A MAN OF PRIVILEGE. If I had to lose, I'm glad it was to her. It was an amazing book.

It's been quite a ride. It seems like last week that WHAT LIES BENEATH came out. Now, I'm on the verge of releasing my fourth book - A VERY EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT, I've turned in books 5 and 6, I'm writing book 7 and as of yesterday, Amazon is completely sold out of paperbacks of WHAT LIES BENEATH. Time flies.

I never expecting any of this, but I have to say, I enjoy pleasant surprises. How about you? When was the last thing something wonderful and unexpected happened?

Andrea

Signs of spring--and a contest!

Spring is in the air here in South Florida, which means the temps are well into the 80's and it's getting humid. Luckily I love hot weather and I went for my first dip in the pool a couple of days ago :) The backyard is suddenly filled with colorful birds, especially cardinals, finches and bluejays. The bluejays make quite a racket! I also saw an alligator while out running this morning. I'm not sure if it was a sign of spring but it certainly was a surprise! I've seen them while out kayaking on the river before but never while on foot. I was on the road and it was on the other side of a canal next to the road. The alligator was about 4 foot long and lying on the bank of the canal, then it suddenly dove into the water, after something, at lightning speed.

What signs of spring do you see in your neck of the woods?

I'm having a contest here if you'd like a chance to win a copy of my newest book.

Jen

Of Characters And Muffins

by Rachel Bailey

The heroine of my April release, No Stranger To Scandal, is Lucy Royall. I could tell you that Lucy is blonde, has a degree, is feisty and a hard worker. But what I'm going to tell you about instead is Lucy's fondness for muffins. Maybe because I love muffins too.

Here's the first time readers see Lucy eat one. Though, she's quite distracted trying to play head games with Hayden: he's interviewing her in his role as an investigator for Congress and he may have just misjudged her. :)

He lowered himself into the chair opposite and granted her a condescending glance. “We’ll run through some simple questions about ANS and your stepfather. If you keep your answers to the truth, we shouldn’t experience any trouble.”

A surge of heat rushed across her skin. The patronizing jerk. If she kept her answers to the truth, they shouldn’t experience any trouble? She was twenty-two, had a degree from Georgetown University and owned one-sixth of the biggest department-store chain in the country. Did he think she would accept being treated like a child?

She gave him her best guileless smile, reached for her large red bag and deposited it on the desk in front of her. Then she combined the sweet voice of her mother with the rapid-fire manner she’d learned from Graham, laying on her North Carolina accent extra thick for good measure. “You know, I think I will have a glass of water, if that’s okay. I’ve got a muffin here I’d like to eat—you don’t mind, do you?—I skipped lunch to make this meeting and I’ll think more clearly with some food in my stomach.”

He hesitated, then murmured, “Of course,” and rose to get her water.

She took a satisfied breath—she’d thrown him off balance. When he put the glass in front of her, she handed him her paper coffee cup. “And could you throw this away for me while you’re up? I didn’t want to put it in my bag in case any residual moisture leaked out, and there wasn’t a trash can in the hallway.” He took the cup, but seemed far from happy about it. She smiled at him again. “Thank you. You’d be surprised how many people refuse a simple request, but then again, you’re a criminal investigator. Maybe you wouldn’t be.” She broke off a piece of muffin and popped it in her mouth.

He sat back in his chair and stared at her, hard. Seemed he’d regained his balance. “Ms. Royall—”

Swallowing, she reached into her bag and came out with a notepad. “I’m going to take notes on what we talk about. I always find it’s best if everyone remembers exactly what’s said in interviews, whatever kind they are. Helps everyone keep their answers to the truth and that way we shouldn’t run into trouble.” She broke off another piece of her muffin and held it out to him. “Raspberry muffin?”

His eyes narrowed and she wondered if she’d pushed too far. But he simply said, “No.” Albeit with a stern finality.

“It’s a very good muffin.” She slipped the piece into her mouth and reached into her bag again for a pen.

“Are you ready?” he asked in a tight voice.

She looked down at her pen and clicked it. “Just give me one more moment. I’d rather be fully prepared for an important conversation like this.” She put her bag on the floor again, and wrote at the top of her page,

Hayden Black interview. April 2, 2013.

Then she beamed up at him. “I’m ready.”

Do you like muffins? If so, do you make your own or buy them? Have a favourite type? If you're not fond of muffins, what do you like better?

 

Yvonne's EASTER WINNER is COLLEEN C!

Congratulations, Colleen C! Your comment was drawn as the winner by my eldest daughter (the nail painter extraordinaire.)

Please email me via yvonne at yvonnelindsay dot com with your mailing address and the name of the book you would like from my backlist as your prize. You can see all my books on my "Books" page at my website.